Annalisa Hultberg, extension educator, food safety
If you are seeking funds to help purchase equipment and infrastructure for your farm, the MDA has a new grant program to help with these costs. The Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture offers up to $20,000 for beginning farmers in Minnesota to make investments in their farm’s equipment and infrastructure.
Apple bins, totes, and farm-specific machinery are all examples of eligible expenses for this grant
The intent of this grant program is to support new farmers in Minnesota to access equipment and develop infrastructure that will be crucial to the future of their farm business.
The grant can be used to purchase:
- Farm equipment
- Farm infrastructure development such as investments in water access, irrigation, fencing, electricity, walk-in coolers, production-related structures such as livestock buildings and greenhouses, and other farm infrastructure.
Applicants may request funds at two levels:
- up to $5,000 for a mini-grant or
- up to $20,000 for a full grant.
The minimum request allowed is $1,000.
Please note: Grant funds are dispersed on a reimbursement basis. A grantee will need to pay for their expenses up front and then request reimbursement with proof of payment for expenses. Only expenses occurring after the grant is awarded will be eligible for reimbursement.
The MDA expects to award $800,000 using a competitive review process, with at least half of the funds going to the mini-grants.
Eligible applicants
Applicants must be:
- A beginning farmer, defined as a person who:
- Seeks entry or who entered into farming within the last 10 years.
- Provides the majority of labor and management on a farm.
- Has some farming experience and knowledge.
- A Minnesota resident
- Farming within the borders of the State of Minnesota
- In good standing with the State of Minnesota.
Only individuals are eligible to apply. Only one application per farm will be accepted. The applicant must meet the definition of beginning farmer given above.
Information sessions
There will be two online public information sessions:
- Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at noon, register here
- Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 7:30 pm, register here
During these sessions, MDA will go over some basic information included in the RFP including applicant eligibility, funding timeline, and application questions.
Language interpretation will be available at these sessions for Spanish, Hmong and Somali.
These sessions will be recorded, and a recording will be posted to this page within five business days of the event.
Applying
The application period opens Tuesday, September 24, 2024 and closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Time (CT) on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
Review process
Awardees will be selected through a competitive process where applications are evaluated by a review committee based on criteria shared in the RFP. MDA staff estimate applicants will be notified during January 2025 about the outcome of their application.
If you have questions, email them to Emily Toner at beginning.farmer.grant.mda@state.mn.us before 11:59 p.m. CT on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
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